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A Wedding to Remember

My name is Veronica Melancon.  I live in Ascension Parish.  I just wanted to share my story.  I know my doesn't compare in devastation to others but, I still wanted to share. 
 
I was married to a horrible man, one who physically and mentally abused me and I had to young children.  I finally found the strength to get away from him and get divorced.
 
Then, like an angel from above, I met my new this wonderful man named Shaun Melancon.  He is 5 years younger than I am and I met him on his 21st birthday I was 25 and had to babies.  He not only decided to date me but we had a child and he proposed.  We set the date of our wedding for September 2nd, 2005.  As, the date rolled around we set all dates for the normal showers, bachelor/bachlorette parties etc.  The bachelor/bachlorette parties were set for the weekend before the wedding and made the reservations for hotels and restaurants in New Orleans. 
 
Me and my family were watching the news and watching the hurricanes roll through with another one named Katrina heading our way.  The weekend we were supposed to head to New Orleans for our bachelor/bachelorette parties,  they are evacuating the city and we couldn't get in so we had to cancel our reservations.  Then we wait and watch to see what exactly this hurricane is going to do.  The family all bunkers down at grandma's house.  I sat up with my soon to be father-in-law.  He needed to smoke and I just wanted to walk outside.  As, I walked outside the winds were all around me.  I remember praying that this would be just another hurricane that passed through.  When we awoke the next day, we started to here reports and then the worst part hit.  The levees broke and I cried as the roof off the Dome started to peel off.  The city I love so much has just went under water along with friends and family leaving their homes in boats and others on their roofs pleading to be rescued.  We were trying to get in touch with everyone we know but we could only send and receive text messages.  As the week went on, I know I have to make the decision of proceeding with the wedding on Friday or not.  We decide to have the wedding showing that we will go on with life and give a shimmer of hope to everyone that we can still party and put smiles on faces to pose for pictures. 
 
Now, to tell you about the wedding.  To get to the salon for all the bridal party to get dressed was downtown Baton Rouge, well, everyone that was capable of evacuating was in Ascension Parish and in Baton Rouge.  It took over an hour to get from the salon in the limo to the Lamar-Dixon Chapel on Hwy 30 in Gonzales.  Now I don't know if you know anything about the Lamar-Dixon compound but, they were housing some evacuees at Lamar-Dixon.  We drive up to the Chapel with the National Guard carrying M-16's checking each car in to make sure they were invited to the wedding.  Next, we had to find somewhere to house the reception and when we did, it was 4 times the size of where we originally reserved, it was the only place we could find that had electricity.  So we re-routed the reception.  Everyone piled into the quaint quarters and smiled.  Our, caterer had to cook everything over an open fire outside.  Needless to say, it was the best decision I ever made, everyone to this day says our wedding was the best one they have ever attended.  I believe being able for everyone to let their hair down for the night and forget the troubles that loomed at home. 
 
As for the honeymoon, me and my new husband were supposed to leave that night to stay in New Orleans till Monday morning and head out on a cruise.  Instead, we just headed back  to our no electricity home with our 3 children.  We were staying with my parents because they had a generator.  The city of New Orleans was under water and my cruise ship was also holding evacuees.  Even though, I still have not been available to go on my honeymoon, I would never change being able to see the smiles and laughter on my friends, family and strangers that showed up at our wedding.  I know I had a very stressful week to change everything from place to place and try to make everything just right but now, 5 years later I can feel good inside because I was first to show that I can make a good thing out of a very bad situation. 
 
Also, on my 4 year anniversary, I awoke to my husband smiling at me saying "Happy Anniversary Honey!"  "Where would you like to go for our anniversary dinner tonight?"  I got up and looked around outside smiled back at him and said our front lawn over a fire!  See because Gustav hit us even worse than Katrina and we still have damage from Gustav today.  Thanks, I just wanted to share my story.  One more thing, I did get to revoke rights from my exhusband and my new husband adopted my 2 older children through the whole Katrina era as well. 
 
Thanks,  Veronica Melancon ~ August 27, 2010

Thanks so much for the email. I have attached a special poem which I wrote to honor the fifth anniversary of Katrina. I hope you like it. J.S. - submitted August 30, 2010

The Katrina I Know

The Katrina I know was not about black or white or any color shade
It was all about pain, anger, loss, frustration, fatal choices not made
To walk in the shoes of someone that has truly lost their defined way
Lives not only lost but turned upside down for forever and a day
A destructive hurricane that left so much behind for life in its wake
Fire burning, pillaging, hunger, death, heartache, this is no mistake
Heart-wrenching images of flood and destruction that brings tears
Also never-ending insecurities and fears that will plague for years
No one can know Katrina unless they have felt her fierce onslaught
Which has managed to alter lives from afar and sadden the heart

I WILL WE ARE STILL DOING A LITTLE AT A TIME BUT WE ARE BLESSED, I AM SO MOVED BY YOU & YOUR FAMILY THAT YOU JUST HAVE NO IDEA.. I WILL GET PICTURES TO YOU AS SOON AS I CAN , THE FAMILY IS GOOD WE STILL HAVE OUR TIMES BUT WE WILL MAKE IT.. GOD IS GREAT AND HE WILL FIND A WAY FOR ALL YOU KNOW BETTER THEN ANYONE.. WITH ALL YOUR LITTLE BLESSINGS, YOUR FAMILY IS SO WONDERFUL TO LOOK AT .. FROM GOING TO 1 CHILD TO A HOUSE FULL I KNOW YOU ARE A BUSY LADY.. AGAIN THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP NOT JUST TO MY FAMILY BUT TO SO MANY EVEN IF THEY NEVER SAID THANKS AND I KNOW MANY HAVNT , I WILL SAY IT FOR THEM... WOW THIS IS REALLY TOUCHING FOR ME , I WILL NEVER FORGET YALL FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. AND KNOW THAT YOUR DADDY IS ONE PROUD MAN OF YOU :) WITH LOVE FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS

WANDA HINES & FAMILY - Mississippi Survivor submitted August 29, 2010

New York Angels 

I want to thank you for introducing me and my kids to the Haynal family from Sag Harbor New York. They have been a blessing to me and my kids sense Katrina .We still keep in touch with each other and they are still blessing my family. Thank God of you and your  family for putting us together .God is Great! May God continue blessing the Haynal family and yours.
~ The Lee Family ~ - submitted August 27, 2010  

My sister in law and I adopted two families in 2005......10 people in total.....what was amazing was how much help we got from local people and friends when they realized they could do something. It was a wonderful experience for us.....we still have contact with one of the families and I firmly believe that it will be people helping people that will heal our country of its present woes.....I look forward to another Katrina Christmas......and thank you Katrina for making it all possible......Claryce King - submitted August 29, 2010

Emails to us ...

Katrina,

Blessing on all you have done, and continue to do. I know it was not by accident that you ended up as steward of this domain name. Keep up the great work and favor on all you do. 

www.hungryforgodhome.org Pastor Larry Ball submitted August 29, 2010

Hi,

Thanks for sharing the stories with me. I can remember the days Katrina hit a state of the United States.

I was the one who initiated the thought of translating the respective documents into Pashto and Dari which was then changed to a a charity effort where a number of translators donated the Katrina hit people.

I am with you.

Khan Mohammad Stanikzai - Kabul, Afghanistan ~ submitted August 30, 2010

Thank you for what you have done for so many people.

I was a Mississippi boy turned Alabama boy that left the south for Boston in 1997.  I watched your disaster on TV from here.  The next day I called one of those very large charity organizations to offer myself and my help.  They told me to get on a sign up list for a training that would take place in mid September.

The next day I just got on a plane and came down.

I am moved by your religious references on your site.  I am very much not a religious person, but I was as a child. When I finally made it to Biloxi, MS, 4 days after the storm I worked all day at a food and supplies distribution set up by a group of churches.  I came back every day from Mobile, AL and brought people each time.

I hadn't written the word "God" in 20 years, but when I returned to my folks home in Mobile that night, I wrote down 5 words, "God is in the Delta."

The first FEMA worker we saw showed up about day 10.  Never saw red cross.

Churches from all over the country had come to MS; and in Mobile, AL, the Salvation Army was running the show.

I don't know if my story counts, but from a thousand miles away, I say, THANK YOU.

PH, Milford, MA - submitted August 29, 2010

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